Chapter 68: Pincer Attack (Part 2)
Inside the Eighth Division headquarters, the sound of gunfire had already begun to spread in all directions.
Japanese troops everywhere also began to enter their positions and wait for the Chinese army's attack.
The surroundings of the headquarters were in complete chaos.
The road has also seen a number of craters, and several trucks that were prepared for escape have been destroyed.
Maeda Toshiie's eyebrows were tightly furrowed together. He had not expected the Chinese troops to have so many artillery pieces.
"Hakka, the stationed Mongolian troops are such bastards. Are they a transportation unit of the Chinese army? How can the Chinese army have so many artillery?" Lieutenant General Toshio Maeda cursed loudly.
"Commander, the tank troops and trucks are ready. Shall we break through immediately?" a staff officer rushed over to ask anxiously.
Maeda Toshiie slapped his staff officer several times in the face.
The staff officer stood up straight quickly and shouted.
"Hakka, must we break through just because of one bombardment?" Lieutenant General Toshifumi Maeda cursed loudly.
"Commander, it's not good! The Chinese troops' tanks have broken through the 31st Brigade's position!" The chief of staff outside seemed to have forgotten the lesson from last time and started shouting again, without putting the previous scolding by Lieutenant General Maeda to heart.
But at this moment, Maeda Toshiie didn't have the mood to pursue these matters anymore.
When he heard about the Chinese tanks, his face changed color.
"What, a Chinese tank." Maeda Toshiyasu asked in disbelief.
"Yes, there are many of them, more than our tank corps." Chief of Staff Kobayashi Kakutarō confirmed quickly.
Maeda's head spun around and his whole body trembled slightly.
After all, he was well aware of the power of tanks.
"Organize troops to resist immediately, these cunning Chinese, we must teach them a severe lesson." Lieutenant General Toshio Iida quickly gave the order.
The Chief of Staff looked at Toshifusa Maeda with a puzzled expression, while the staff officer beside him had already begun to relay the orders.
"Chief of Staff, immediately give orders to the 16th Brigade to reinforce us quickly. Once we break through, these tanks and Chinese cavalry will gradually wear down our troops. Now the only way is to hold our ground and wait for the arrival of the 16th Brigade. Maybe we still have a way out."
Maeda Toshiya after all graduated from the Army University, now although the situation is very bad, but there are also ways to solve it.
If they abandon their troops and run away, it will probably lead to the destruction of the entire army.
Moreover, these troops were crack imperial soldiers who might be able to resist Chinese forces' attacks.
After the tank broke through the 31st United Army's position, it quickly advanced into the depths of the Japanese army. Some tanks were hit by anti-tank guns when they passed through the position and became a pile of burning scrap iron.
These drivers were temporarily assigned by Zhang Junzhe from Xu Da's fourth brigade, although most of them could drive trucks, they still had some shortcomings when facing tanks.
What's more important is that the Japanese army won't give them time for training.
Nor will this force be allowed to develop slowly.
"Hurry up and order the first battalion to quickly respond to the third brigade, while the other two battalions immediately launch an attack." Zhang Junzhe gave the command as soon as he saw his tank break through the enemy's position.
The signal corps quickly began to activate the radio, conveying Zhang Junzhe's orders.
The cavalry behind was delighted, waving their military swords and cutting off the heads of the Japanese army.
For these cavalrymen, all the grandiose talk about defending the country is just nonsense.
It's better to make a fortune and gain an official position all at once, just like Liang Fei said.
"Sir, the tanks have broken through," a major ran over and reported with a salute.
Yang Junran nodded, adjusted his equipment and said: "Go back and tell Qin Litian, except for the artillery, all other troops will make a breakthrough with me. Don't be afraid of disrupting the formation, eliminate any Japanese soldiers you see."
The major saluted and ran back towards his troops in the distance.
Yang Junran held a rifle and rushed forward.
The headquarters of the 4th Division of the Japanese Army, Suzuki Yoshinobu's face was flustered.
He did not expect that after the artillery bombardment, the Chinese troops actually deployed their tank units.
He has no time to care where the Chinese troops' tanks come from. He is very clear that he must reinforce the divisional headquarters immediately.
Although the Fifth Regiment suffered heavy casualties, Suzuki knew that if the division commander were to die in battle, he would be held most responsible, and the division commander was also a noble.
Just as Suzuki Yoshinori was gathering his troops, the 3rd Brigade on the opposite side had launched an attack under Fang Hanjin's leadership.
The Fifth Japanese Army was hit by the Third Brigade and couldn't move at all.
"Commander of the Travel Brigade, the Division Commander's order is to hold the position and wait for reinforcements from the 16th Brigade." The middle-aged Colonel Chief of Staff rushed in and said to Suzuki Yoshinori.
Suzuki Miyori furrowed her brow and carefully read the telegram.
After confirmation, Suzuki Miizou could only give orders to hold their ground.
But he was clear that his troops were too few and could not withstand the Chinese army's attack at all. Just from the sound of artillery and machine guns, he understood everything.
Within less than two hundred meters from the Japanese army's position, several battalions' mortars and heavy machine guns were set up one after another, rapidly firing at the Japanese army's position.
The infantrymen followed their officers, bayonets at the ready, charging forward.
The light machine guns were all arranged on the front line. The soldiers behind them, under the cover of the light machine guns, threw hand grenades at the Japanese army's position.
In no time, both sides engaged in a fierce battle with swords drawn.
Including the guard battalion, a total of five battalions with nearly 5,000 soldiers have engaged in fierce battle with more than 2,000 Japanese troops.
On the other hand, Lin Maoqing's face was anxious in the 16th Brigade headquarters on the flank.
But no matter how anxious he was, the troops could not move.
The troops of all six camps had tightly encircled their troops.
The artillery battalion that completed the task once again gave special care to the 16th Brigade.
"Commander, the Chinese artillery fire is very fierce. Our troops have launched three attacks but cannot break through their positions. Unless we abandon our heavy weapons and make a detour with light equipment, perhaps we can succeed." The chief of staff of the 16th Division walked over from outside and said to Lin Maoqing.
Lin Maoqing furrowed his own brow and walked over to the map.
"Lightly equipped and circuitous." Lin Maoqing murmured softly.
The chief of staff also understood that as long as they abandoned those heavy weapons, they could make their way out, but with the burden of these heavy weapons, it was extremely troublesome.
However, whether it was the Chief of Staff or Lin Maoqing, they were both very clear that after giving up heavy weapons, the combat effectiveness of the entire unit would be severely reduced.
More importantly, without heavy weapons, they also have no way to deal with Chinese troops' tanks.
"Order the 17th Infantry Regiment to dispatch two infantry battalions, abandon all heavy weapons, and quickly reinforce the division headquarters. The 32nd Regiment will continue to attack and must break through the Shina position quickly." Lin Maoqing chose a compromise approach, first sending two infantry battalions to rush to the division headquarters to protect the safety of Division Commander Toshiyuki Maeda.
On the Japanese army's position, it was chaotic everywhere.
Cavalry, tanks, infantry, everywhere.
The fierce battle between the two sides has never stopped.
Even the headquarters of Maeda Toshi's division was attacked by three tanks, fortunately there were several anti-tank guns, which averted the crisis.
But in the 31st Army of Japan, the situation was very bad.
They were attacked by a cavalry regiment and also by two infantry regiments of Qin Liti's second brigade.
As time passed, now 31st Corps is less than two thousand people.
Even Lieutenant General Mikio Yasukawa of the 31st Division was covered in blood.
He himself killed three Chinese infantrymen but his arm was also cut off by a cavalryman.
Yang Junran held his rifle and continuously searched for Japanese soldiers.
The current situation is that there are many wolves and little meat, it's very hard to find a Japanese soldier.
Helpless Yang Junran could only continue moving forward.
A dozen or so Chinese tanks have appeared in Yang Junran's line of sight, with the surrounding area littered with Japanese corpses.
One of the armored soldiers seemed to have discovered Yang Junran and poked his head out, shouting in a low voice: "Commander, be careful."
Yang Junran quickly fell to the ground, several bullets whizzed past Yang Junran.
The tank's machine gun fired rapidly, and the sound of gunfire echoed around again.
A dozen tanks sprang into action, dispersing and attacking the Japanese army in all directions.
Yang Junran lay on the ground, frowning at a nearby guard and said: "Let Qin Litian, the brigade commander, bring the infantry over immediately. We need infantry here."
The guard hesitated for a moment and ran towards the back.
The headquarters of the 8th Division has been fully alerted.
Apart from a few tanks, all the rest joined in the battle.
There was only one infantry company for protection, but there were dozens of trucks, so that a retreat could be made at the most critical moment.
"Commander of the Division, telegram from the 16th Brigade." A staff officer ran over and said to Toshinari Maeda.
Maeda Toshiya furrowed his brow and took the telegram, scanning it briefly.
"Hachigara!" Toshiyasu cursed involuntarily.
After all, the 16th Brigade cannot reinforce over here, this is to let the 4th Brigade bear all the pressure.
And the Fourth Army Corps, obviously could not hold out for much longer.
"Division Commander, 31st Brigade Commander sent a farewell telegram." A staff officer rushed in and said to Toshinari Maeda.
Maeda Toshisada frowned as he looked at Anagawa's telegram.
He understood the danger after the 31st Regiment was completely annihilated and was even clearer about his current situation.
"Immediately send a telegram to the Fourth Division Headquarters, let Suzuki Yoshijirō take over as division commander, and quickly lead high-ranking officers to rush to the division headquarters. Order all tank units to assemble at the division headquarters." Lieutenant General Maeda decided to retreat after all, for if he didn't retreat, even he himself might become a prisoner of war of the Chinese forces.
Kobayashi Kakutarō, the chief of staff, quickly ran out and prepared for withdrawal.
The truck outside started moving, just near the ammunition depot of the division headquarters, but no one noticed.
